Junior Ajay Sczepkowski connected on a pair of home runs to power the No. 5-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team to a 10-2 victory at No. 19 Bryan College (Tennessee) on Tuesday afternoon in Dayton, Tennessee.

The Grizzlies (26-3) broke open a close contest by scoring six runs in the seventh inning. Junior Chase Evans ignited the offensive production with a pinch-hit double that drove home a pair of runs. Sophomore Braxton Meguiar added a two-run single before Sczepkowski's second round tripper of the game gave the visitors a commanding 10-2 advantage, which stood for the next two innings.

Sczepkowski connected on a solo home run in the sixth inning to give GGC a 4-2 lead. The left fielder went 2-for-3 with four RBI in the contest and has hit nine of his team-high 14 homers so far in March. He was last week's NAIA Player of the Week.

"Chase really got us rolling with the double," said Sczepkowski. "We just needed base runners at that point of the game. I was seeing the ball really well today and got some good pitches to drive."

Sophomore Kyle Norton gave the Grizzlies a 3-2 lead with a two-run home run in the second inning. It was the team's only hit during the first five innings as the team's first run of the game, by leadoff hitter Jon Ponder, was unearned following a first-inning error by Bryan's infield.

"It was important that we came up with an early answer (scoring the second-inning runs). I went with a pitch on the outside half of the plate and got the ball up in the air (for the two-run homer)," said Norton.

Sophomore starting pitcher Ben Harris had another strong midweek performance. He went the distance and did not allow a run after allowing a two-run home run to Bryson Lofton in the Lions' opening frame. The right hander struck out seven batters and the defense turned a double play in each of the final three innings to erase any threats.

"The double plays were huge to prevent (Bryan) from gaining any late-inning momentum," said Norton.

Harris, the reigning Continental Athletic Conference's Pitcher of the Week, has won his last three starts, stands 5-0 on the season and has a rotation-best 2.21 earned run average.

Meguiar, Norton and Sczepkowski each tallied two hits in the road triumph. Ponder extended his hitting streak to 17 games with a single in the ninth inning.
  "I'm proud of how we make in-game adjustments. We needed to take advantage of the scoring opportunities when they were presented, with multiple runs. The double by Chase (Evans) sparked the big (seventh) inning. Ben (Harris) settled in once again after the first inning. Our defense turned three big double plays to make this another total-team effort," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  The Grizzlies took advantage of two Bryan defensive errors to score six runs in the seventh inning – breaking open the midweek contest. Junior Chase Evans delivered a pinch-hit two-run double with the bases loaded to collect the first of GGC's three run-scoring hits in the inning. Sophomore Braxton Meguiar added a two-run single before junior Ajay Sczepkowski connected on a two-run homer to give the visitors a 10-2 lead.
  Top of First
Ajay Sczepkowski hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Jon Ponder
 
Bottom of First
Bryson Lofton hit a two-run home run
 
Top of Second
Kyle Norton connected on a two-run home run that gave the Grizzlies a 3-2 lead
 
Top of Sixth
Ajay Sczepkowski hit a solo home run to left field
 
Top of Seventh
Chase Evans lined a two-run double that extended the lead to four runs, 6-2
Braxton Meguiar drove in a pair of runs with a single
Ajay Sczepkowski hit a two-run home run for his second homer of the game
 

• Both teams registered eight hits in the contest; five different Grizzlies collected a hit
• Junior Ajay Sczepkowski recorded his third multiple home run game of the season
• Junior center fielder Jon Ponder had four defensive putouts
• The Grizzlies faced nine Bryan pitchers across the nine-inning game

• GGC improves to 26-3 on the season, while Bryan drops to 18-9 in 2023
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 5 in the first NAIA Top 25 poll of the regular season; Bryan stood No. 19 in the same poll
• The team has a 9-3 lead in the series with Bryan, including a 5-2 edge in games played in Dayton, Tennessee
• The Grizzlies are 6-1 against nationally ranked teams this spring

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host Toccoa Falls College (Georgia) in a doubleheader on Friday, March 24, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 2 p.m.